- This page is about the book character. For the Netflix character, see Colin Bridgerton
Colin Bridgerton is the third Bridgerton child.
History[]
1812[]
Colin was out horse riding with his brothers when Penelope Featherington's bonnet came loose and flew into his face, causing him to fall off his horse. Colin made a joke out of it, and also became friends with Penelope.
1813[]
Colin unexpectedly returned from Greece, and found out that his family was at Lady Danbury's ball. He went there, and surprised them. After reuniting with Benedict, Anthony, and Daphne, he met Simon Basset, Anthony's friend from college. Colin went on a trip to Greenwich with his family and Simon soon after.
During Lady Trowbridge's ball, Colin let Daphne know that Simon was there when she was looking for him. He brought his mother, Violet, back home that night, and went and told Daphne that his friend, the Earl of Macclesfield, saw Daphne and Simon going into the garden together. Daphne admitted that Anthony caught her and Simon in a compromising position, but Simon refused to marry her, and they were dueling at dawn. She convinced Colin to help her stop the duel, and the two arrived at the site, to Benedict and Anthony's ire. Daphne convinced Simon to marry her, stopping the duel. Colin attended Daphne and Simon's wedding.
When Daphne returned to London alone, Colin came to visit her, and told Daphne that he would harm Simon for hurting her. Daphne told him to leave, saying she could handle her own marriage. After Simon returned, Colin appeared with Anthony and Benedict at their house, demanding that Simon prove that he love Daphne. Simon pulled Daphne aside, and confessed his love for her. Just as Colin was about to leave with his brothers, Violet showed up, furious, and dragged him and his brothers out.
1814[]
Colin was at White's when Anthony announced his intention to get married that season to him and Benedict. Colin told Anthony that Edwina Sheffield was the diamond of the season when he inquired. During the Hartside ball, Colin met Kate Sheffield, Edwina's older sister. Though Kate assumed him to be a rake like Anthony, Colin took it in good spirits, and they bonded over their devotion to family. Colin then introduced Kate to Anthony, and insisted on him taking his spot to dance with Kate. Though Kate tried to refuse, Anthony pulled her to the dance floor, while Colin watched.
Colin attended his mother's country party at Aubrey Hall with his family. He met Kate there again, and invited her to join the family for a game of pall mall. She agreed, and they played a game alongside Anthony, Edwina, Daphne, and Simon. Colin purposely left Kate and Anthony alone to clean up the course while he escorted Edwina inside. Colin later attended Anthony and Kate's wedding.
After his wedding, Colin finds Anthony at White's one morning, hungover. He and Benedict make fun of Anthony's state, thinking Kate kicked him out. However, they later tell Anthony to go back home and tell Kate that he loves her to make things right. Anthony thanks them, and leaves.
1815[]
Colin attended his mother's masquerade ball. He saw Benedict ask Penelope to dance, but then get distracted and walk away. Seeing Penelope hurt, Colin stepped in and offered to dance with her. He later found Benedict with a mystery woman, and scolded him for walking away from Penelope.
1817[]
Violet tried to convince Colin to marry Penelope. Colin tried to brush her off, but when she kept pushing, he left to go on a trip to Wales. When he returned, his brothers heard about Violet's matchmaking, and teased Colin about getting married. Frustrated, Colin blurted out that he would never marry Penelope Featherington, but immediately regretted it when he realized that Penelope had heard him. She brushed him off and walked away, though Colin still felt guilty.
Colin is practicing fencing with Benedict, and realizes his brother is upset. He asks, and Benedict reveals that the mystery woman he fell in love with at the masquerade ball was Sophie Beckett, the new lady's maid in Violet's house, and she never told Benedict the truth because she's had a rough life. Colin encourages his brother to make the right choice, and Benedict thanks him, before leaving.
1824[]
Colin had just returned to London from Cyprus, and decided to stay in London for the foreseeable future. At Violet's birthday ball, he finds Penelope, and offers to dance with her. However, she tells him that now she's a spinster, he's no longer obligated to dance with her out of pity. Colin is upset by her perceptiveness, but also says he enjoys dancing with her, and she finally relents. The two are later cornered by Lady Danbury, who announces that she'll offer a thousand pounds to whoever unmasks the anonymous gossip columnist Lady Whistledown. Colin was at White's when he met Michael Stirling. He told Michael that he should marry Francesca, Colin's sister.
A few days later, Colin catches Penelope reading one of his travel journals, and is upset with her. However, when she tells him how she found his work captivating, Colin is pleased. He complains about not having a purpose in his life, like Benedict or Anthony, and Penelope argues that he's in a much better situation than her, and he should change his life if he wants to. Colin goes to the Smythe-Smith musicale to apologize to Penelope, but she instead suggests that he should publish his travel journals as his purpose. When his family starts talking about Lady Danbury's reward, Colin starts to suspect Eloise is Lady Whistledown. He shares his suspicion with Penelope, but she refutes his claim. She asks him to kiss her, and Colin does, which causes him to develop more feelings for Penelope. During the Macclesfield ball, Colin is with Penelope and Lady Danbury when Cressida Twombley announces she is Lady Whistledown. He listens to Penelope and Lady Danbury dispute Cressida's claims, and is impressed with Penelope for voicing her opinion.
The next day, Colin goes to meet Penelope, but catches her sneaking into the city alone. He follows her, and discovers her secret: she is Lady Whistledown. He catches her trying to publish a column that denies Cressida is Lady Whistledown, and is upset, telling Penelope she should've just let Cressida's claim stand. However, Penelope says that she won't let Cressida take credit for her work. Colin admires her at that moment, for having a life's work, and realizes that he is attracted to her. The two make out in his carriage, but stop when they realize they've arrived at Penelope's house. Colin gets out of the carriage, and proposes to Penelope on the spot, stunning her. They go inside, and he gets the blessing of Penelope's mother, Portia, to marry her and they become engaged. After Francesca left town and went to Scotland, Colin encountered Michael, and encouraged him to follow Francesca, revealing how he was engaged to Penelope. Michael finally decided to leave to give Francesca the news.
During their engagement ball, Lady Whistledown's column is distributed unexpectedly, saying Cressida is not Lady Whistledown. After their first dance, Colin sneaks out with Penelope and they go to his room, where he is furious that she published the column. He warns Penelope that someone will figure out she's Lady Whistledown, but Penelope defends herself, saying she's proud of Lady Whistledown, and refuses to let Cressida take the credit. Colin changes his mind when she says this, as he's wanted a life's work like Penelope, and realizes he's in love with her. He tells her to stay the night, and she agrees, and they make love for the first time. They convince their mothers to move up the wedding, to save Penelope's honor, and they're married soon after.
Colin finally decides to share his travel journals with Penelope, and she shares that she loves them, and again suggests that he publish them. Colin finally agrees, and the two work together to edit and publish his journals. Soon after, though, Penelope tells Colin that Cressida figured out that she is Lady Whistledown, and is blackmailing her. Colin vows to protect Penelope, and goes to Anthony to ask for help. He finally meets Penelope at Daphne and Simon's ball, and reveals he's decided to tell everyone the truth, vowing to stand by her and support her, no matter what. Penelope finally agrees to the plan, and Colin publicly announces at the ball that Penelope is Lady Whistledown. Though initially shocked, the ton, led by Lady Danbury, eventually comes to admire Penelope, just like Colin does.
After the ball, Colin and his brothers realize his younger sister, Eloise, is missing. Penelope helps them figure out that she went to visit Sir Phillip Crane, and Colin heads to Phillip's house with Anthony, Benedict, and his youngest brother, Gregory. Though his brothers immediately attack Phillip, Colin just watches, amused, while Eloise tries to stop them from killing Phillip. When the furor finally stops, Anthony pulls Eloise aside to talk, while Colin, Benedict, and Gregory talk to Phillip, and they eventually become friends.
Colin returns to London, and brings Penelope back to Phillip's house so they can attend Phillip and Eloise's wedding. He bribes and tells everyone to not tell Eloise about Penelope being Lady Whistledown, but his youngest sister, Hyacinth, tells Eloise before the wedding, annoying Colin. However, Penelope and Colin leave soon after, and decide to finally go on their honeymoon.
1825[]
Colin's first book about his travels in Italy is finally printed, with more books to be published in the future. Penelope is expecting their first child, and later gives birth to their daughter, Agatha.
Personality[]
Colin Bridgerton has always been appealing within the ton, exuding charm and charisma made more alluring by his various travels. It doesn't hurt that he's devoted to his family, as well. While he always appeals to the masses, Colin feels like he lacks direction, and seeks purpose in his life.
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Penelope Bridgerton[]
Colin had been friends with Penelope Featherington for many years. Colin gladly danced with her at balls whenever his mother asked him to. When his mother first suggested that he consider marrying Penelope, he balked at the idea. When Penelope overheard him refusing to marry her, Colin felt guilty. Years later, Colin realized he was beginning to feel attracted to her. When Colin discovered that Penelope was Lady Whistledown, Penelope said how she could only hide because nobody paid attention to her, and Colin realized that he was paying attention to her like he never had before. Colin proposed to Penelope immediately. Colin realized he loved Penelope before they married. With Penelope's encouragement, Colin published his travel journals, and enjoyed a loving marriage with Penelope.
Familial[]
Benedict Bridgerton[]
Colin has a good relationship with his brother, Benedict. They always have each other backs and it was Colin who put some sense into his big brother that gave him the encouragement he needed to propose to Sophie.
Daphne Basset[]
Colin has a close relationship with his sister. During a game of Pall Mall, he claimed he blamed everything on Daphne, making his life much easier. They are closest in age, and he even went to her for advice when he needed someone to talk to about his feelings before he married his wife, Penelope.
Eloise Crane[]
Colin and Eloise have a quarrelsome relationship. Once, when Colin was twelve, he hit Eloise and his father horsewhipped him for it — the only time his father laid a hand on him. When Eloise pestered Colin about why he visited Penelope, Colin was tempted to smack her.[2] Over the years, Colin has tossed Eloise into a lake to teach her how to swim, tied Eloise to a tree so that she did not follow him into a local public inn and considered cutting off three inches of Eloise's hair while she was asleep.[3]
Hyacinth St. Clair[]
Hyacinth, being much younger and mischievous, frequently annoys Colin. In an attempt to keep Hyacinth from revealing to Eloise on her wedding day that Penelope was Lady Whistledown, Colin tried to bribe Hyacinth with ten pounds. When that failed, he agreed to double the offer to twenty pounds. However, due to his lack of trust in Hyacinth, Colin initially paid her only ten pounds, with the promise of the additional ten pounds if she kept the secret. Despite this, Hyacinth revealed the secret to Eloise, which infuriated Colin.[3]
Friendships[]
Professional[]
Career[]
Notes and Trivia[]
- Colin has the famous Bridgerton thick, chestnut hair[4], the wide and smiling Bridgerton mouth, broad shoulders, six-foot height[5] and green eyes.[6]
- Colin is famous for his good looks and has no trouble attracting women.[7] His slightly crooked smile once caused a young lady to faint.[8]
- Colin is famous for his mellow charm and ability to set anyone at ease with a smooth grin or an amusing comment — so much so that Penelope once joked that Colin could get away with murder if he wanted to.[8][9]
- Unbeknownst to most, Colin possesses a temper and can be physically aggressive. When Colin discovered that Penelope had published another issue of Lady Whistledown despite his insistence that she stop writing, he gripped her arm so tightly that he knew it would leave a bruise.[8] He has also been violent with Eloise, having previously hit her, tossed her into a lake, and tied her to a tree.[2][3]
Appearances[]
| Bridgerton Books | |||||
| #01 | "The Duke and I" | #04 | "Romancing Mister Bridgerton" | #07 | "It's In His Kiss" |
| #02 | "The Viscount Who Loved Me" | #05 | "To Sir Phillip, With Love" | #08 | "On The Way To The Wedding" |
| #03 | "An Offer from a Gentleman" | #06 | "When He Was Wicked" | #09 | "The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After" |
References
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